EIF backs Italian private debt fund
Finint Investment anticipates €150 million final close for its third Italian private debt fund in June, after receiving the backing of the European Investment Fund

Weak loan collateral will dent private credit returns, says Finnish pension
Valtion Elakerahasto, the state pension fund of Finland, says non-existing or weaker loan collateral has raised concerns about the returns private credit funds will generate in the coming years  

Sacramento pension earmarks $150 million for private credit in 2020
The pension fund expects to commit to two direct lending funds and one credit fund it describes as 'opportunistic'

Italian pension fund seeks greater exposure to private debt
BNL, the pension fund of the investment manager BNP Paribas Italia, has launched a request for proposals (RFP), looking to commit €20 million to private debt closed-end funds.  

London pension considers direct lending allocation
The City of Westminster pension fund is considering a 5% allocation to a new mandate which includes direct lending,

Private credit funds could find better buying opportunities this year, says NEPC
Institutional investors looking to allocate to private credit in 2020 should focus on distressed debt, opportunistic credit and niche lending, according to investment consultant NEPC, with 2019 vintage funds potentially seeing “better buying opportunities” despite valuations being at cyclical highs

Investors preferred real asset debt to corporate private debt in 2019, finds Bfinance
Bfinance stated that, in dollar terms, real asset debt searches conducted by investors outweighed corporate private debt searches in 2019

DC pension set to invest in private debt assets
Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS), a UK based pension scheme, is set to enable the members of its defined contribution (DC) section to get exposure to private markets assets, including private debt, from February

UK charities join forces on hunt for ESG managers
Three UK based charities are joining forces in the hunt for a manager to oversee a £32 million ($41.6 million) portfolio with a strong focus on environment, social and governance (ESG) criteria as well as impact investing  

Ares makes rare move by pulling out of private debt mandate
Greater London’s local government pension pool has lost one of its credit managers after Ares Management withdrew from its role as fund manager on an illiquid loan and private debt mandate  

CDP commits to Italian private debt
Italian state-owned investor Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) has committed €40 million to a private debt fund managed by Anthilia Capital Partners

Managers acquiesce on fees as small UK pensions seek private credit nest egg
Private credit fund managers are rejigging their fee structures in order to attract small UK pension schemes.

Devon pension backs Brunel private debt portfolio
Devon pension fund’s committee has approved a £100 million ($131 million) commitment to Brunel private debt portfolio, according to documents seen by Creditflux

Texas pension awards €100 million to European direct lending
Texas County and District Retirement System has allocated €100 million to a European direct lending fund managed by Metric Capital Partners

Pennsylvania pension creates private credit bucket
Pennsylvania State Employees’ Retirement System has approved a new 4% allocation to the private credit asset class

UK pension partnership launches maiden private credit offering at £581 million
Border to Coast Pensions Partnership (BCPP) is set to commit £581 million in private credit, as part of its maiden offering in this asset class  

West coast pension looks to step up direct lending allocations
The City of Fresno Retirement System will commit $140-160 million to private credit for the next two years, according to board documentation seen by Creditflux. This comes amid a pause in direct lending commitments for the pension fund, which has not committed any capital to this market in 2019

Italian journalists set for greater exposure to infrastructure debt
The pension fund for Italian journalists has launched a request for proposals in which it seeks exposure to infrastructure debt, along with infrastructure equity

Minnesota pension to invest $300 million in distressed and private credit funds
Minnesota State Board of Investments is set to invest $100 million in a mezzanine debt fund and $200 million in a distressed debt fund

Italian pension eyes private market investments with debt and equity mandate
Fondoposte has launched a request for proposals in which it outlines plans to invest in private debt and private equity  

Arizona pension to deploy up to $700 million a year in private credit
Arizona Public Safety Employee System is looking to deploy $600-700 million in private credit strategies per year in order to meet its target allocation, according to board documents seen by Creditflux.

Canadian pension awards €300 million to middle market real estate debt
Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) has awarded €300 million to a separately managed account focused on real estate across Spain and Portugal. The pension fund did not name who this partnership was with 

Italian private bank partners with Tikehau for private asset fund with ESG focus
Italian private bank Fideuram Investimenti has launched a private markets fund that gives investors access to private debt, among other asset classes  

Public private sector partnership launches impact debt fund
Warrington Borough Council and Altana Wealth have joined forces to launch a private debt fund that invests in social impact investments in the UK  

UK pension hires BNP Paribas AM for starring role in core-satellite private credit fund
UK pension fund Nest has appointed BNP Paribas Asset Management to run the core of a private credit fund, sources say, in an arrangement which sees Amundi and BlackRock manage certain satellite investments